Death toll in Sri Lanka floods, mudslides rises to 14
Sri Lankans stranded due to floods travel in a boat in an inundated street following heavy rainfall at Malwana, on the outskirts of Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Jun 5, 2021. (AP Photo/Eranga Jayawardena)
COLOMBO: The death toll from floods and mudslides following heavy rains in Sri Lanka rose to 14 with another two missing, officials said on Sunday (Jun 6).
Ten districts on the Indian Ocean island have been under heavy rainfall since last Thursday, including the capital Colombo and suburbs where many houses, paddy fields and roads have been inundated.
Ten people have died in floods while another four lost their lives in mudslides, according to the government’s Disaster Management Center. Among them was a family of four who died when a mound of earth crashed onto their house in Kegalle district, about 85km east of Colombo.
Two others remain missing.
Sri Lanka's navy said it had deployed 33 teams to flooded areas, which so far have rescued 66 people stranded by the floodwaters.
The Disaster Management Center said the extreme weather has affected about 245,000 people, and more than 4,300 remain displaced in emergency shelters. More than 800 houses have been damaged.
